"Papa!" the little girl cried, burying her face in the folds of his dark jacket.
Heero shushed her gently, looking up as the last car of the train passed over head. It was no longer safe there, the soldiers could be coming at any time. They had already killed his wife, he could not let them kill his child.
"Setsuko, listen to me." Heero whispered, lifting the ive year olds face upward. Tears were streaming down her pale features, her short black hair sticking to her sorrowful face.
"Papa, don't leave me!" Setsuko cried, letting her cobalt blue eyes plead with her fathers soul. Heero sighed, looking down at his daughter, her red coat streaked with the grime of dirt.
"I have no choice. They're after me, not you. You won't understand this now, but you will later. Stay here, and don't leave until dark. Make sure no one sees you, and go to a police station. Tell them that you are Duo Maxwell's daughter, okay?" Heero asked, looking around panicky. They could be there any moment. "I love you always, Setsuko. Remember thet most of all, Mama and I always loved you." Heero hugged her tightly, setting her on the ground and running out from under the train trestle, praying to every God that has ever existed that Setsuko would understand him, and stay beneath the bridge.
"Papa, I understand." Setsuko sobbed quietly, curling up and hiding herself from sight, praying that her Papa would survive.
Shots rang out as the soldiers fired at Heero. Heero grunted as a piece of metal ripped into his side, cutting his breath short.
"He's over here!" Someone shouted as Heero dropped to his knees, the world spinning. More shots fired out, and the soldiers dropped to the ground, dead, the bullets hitting their deadly mark.
"Hey, here's the guy over here!" a woman's voice shouted out. Heero felt someone dragging him to someplace warm, and then the blackness swirled and cut off all thought.
"Hey kid, what are you doing in here!?" a police officer asked as a tiny child pushed open the door and walked in.
"My Papa told me to come here if I was lost. My Papa is Duo Maxwell." Setsuko whispered, wiping the tears out of her eyes as she looked up at the figure looming above her. The man nodded, and typed the name into the computer.
"Your name Kei Nanami?" the police officer asked. Setsuko paused for a moment, and then nodded. Her Papa had told her to contact Duo Maxwell, and she was going to.
"Duo Maxwell here, what can I do for you?" Duo yawned, answering the phone.
"Mr. Maxwell? Your daughter Kei is at the police station, on L1. Would you please come and collect her?" the police officer asked. Duo eyed the phone oddly. His daughter had been dead for a year. She wasn't at a police station anywhere!
"Uh..... can you put her on the phone?" Duo asked, getting suspicious. There were cruel people out there, and he wasn't about to be suckered into anything.
"Who is it?" Hilde asked, rolling over to look at Duo. Duo raised his hand, telling her to be quiet. Setsuko stepped in front of the phone. Duo recognized her immediately, and everything came together in his mind.
"I'll be right there. Thanks." Duo whispered, hanging up the phone.
"Who was that, Duo?" Hilde yawned, sitting up as Duo slipped a pair of pants on.
"Heero's dead. Someone needs to look after his kid, and I've been elected. I'll explain when I get back." Duo whispered, grabbing the car keys, and leaving the room, Hilde still staring after him.
"Sir?" a doctor asked, Heero groaned. His head hurt like hell.
"Where...... where am I?" Heero whispered, his throat parched. The doctor sighed in relief.
"I was begging to worry. Good thing we were in time, we almost lost you. Can you remember your name?" the doctor asked, writing something on a clipboard. Heero frowned for a second.
"What happened? What's going on? Who am I?" the doctor looked up at the last question, pausing to think before answering.
"You were in a fight with some soldiers, you were shot. There was a blood clot in your brain, and we had to operate.(*I am not a medical professional of any tipe, so all of my medical facts are on the Band-Aid level. If the facts are medically wrong, just let me apologize!!! *_~*) We were afraid there might be brain damage......" the doctor trailed on as fury entered Heero's eyes.
"Who am I!?" Heero demanded for a second time, sitting up in his bed. The doctor shook his head.
"We don't know. But lie back, I'm sure it will all come back to you in time." the doctor injected a shot of tranqualizer into the iv leading to Heero's arm before leaving, closing the door behind him.
"Does he remember anything?" one of the soldiers asked, stroking the gun at his hip warningly.
"No..... not a thing. The operation was a success. He'll never regain his memory, ever. Now, if you please, I have rounds to make." the doctor sighed, brushing by the soldier.
"Good, doctor. Because, if you're wrong, we do know how to find you." the soldier laughed, walking down the corridor......
"Pumpkin!!! I was so worried!!! Why did you run away like that, we were frantic!!!" Duo chuckled, lifting Setsuko into his arms.
"I am sorry Papa." Setsuko whispered, closing her eyes before the tears could flow.
"Mister, keep an eye on your daughter. We can't go calling parents all night every time they decided to have a little fun with the misses." the police man sighed, waving Duo out the door. Duo grinned and nodded, closing the door soundly behind him and letting the smile fade from his face.
"I'm sorry about you Papa. He told you that you'd have to live with me and my wife now, didn't he?" Duo asked, setting Setsuko down in his red sports car, starting the engine. Setsuko nodded.
"You're my Papa now. And my name is Kei Nanami Setsuko Maxwell. And my real Papa and Mama are dead." Kei whispered, smoothing the folds of her red coat. Duo glared at the road ahead, his knuckles showing white as he gripped the steering wheel.
"I'm sorry that it had to come to this, Kei. But life has always been harsh for us pilots, and now it is harsh for you." Duo whispered. Kei nodded, drifting off to a silent, dreamless sleep............
There might be a sequel, I'm not sure yet. It depends on the R&R. So REVIEW the story, and there might be more to tantalize the senses!!!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at blurose@angelfire.com
~Kaiyo No Hime